It’s a balmy spring evening in Hollywood, but Bieber and I are tucked away deep in a dim octagonal recording studio with a cadre of sound engineers. He’s putting the finishing touches on his latest full-length album while I interview him for a FORBES cover story on his venture capital holdings. And though he’s blithely cracking jokes as he careens around the studio, he’s locked in on his music.

Bieber sways as though blown forward by the sound suddenly surging full-volume from the stadium-quality speakers. It’s a slow song with a soulful lilt, reminiscent of early Jackson Five—and sporting a Michael Jackson sample, to boot. Next he plays a soaring, bass-heavy tune called “As Long As You Love Me,” followed by “Happier When We’re Together,” a ballad in which he worries a girlfriend will be unfaithful while he’s on tour.

Then he perks up as his own beatboxing fills the room in the intro to “You’re The One,” merging seamlessly into the beat of a drum machine. He anticipates every thwack with a flick of his wrist, rapping the bridge while doing what appears to be a variation of the Moonwalk, and turns to me as the music fades.

“Did you like it?” I nod. “Thank you.”

Bieber’s new album, due out on June 19th, will be a crucial inflection point in his young career. With any luck, Believe and the ensuing tour of the same name will help him surpass the $55 million he earned this year as he transitions from teen idol to grown-up superstar. Though the last two tracks he played me didn’t make the final cut (he recorded more than twice as many songs as he needed for Believe and picked only his favorites), the feel of the album is clear: thumpy, synth-heavy love songs punctuated by high-profile guest appearances.

In addition to the aforementioned stars, Believe features Ludacris, Big Sean, Nicki Minaj and others. A cast of producers ranging from Diplo to Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, who had a hand in many of Michael Jackson’s late-career hits, crafted the beats; Timbaland and Kanye West are also said to have contributed. With all the high-profile guests, are there any artists left that Bieber would still like to work with?

“Sugar Ray Leonard,” he says with a chuckle, sliding into a chair behind a keyboard. “Pharrell. We’ve been trying to get together, we just haven’t done it yet. He’s really just funky and I like his music.”

BANG bang bang bang. BANG bang bang bang.

Bieber, a self-taught drummer, asks an engineer to loop the sounds he’s just created. Then the conversation turns to the musical influence exerted by his mentor, Usher.

“As far as music, he’s always giving me advice,” says Bieber. “Don’t take myself too seriously, but always make sure what I’m doing is coming from me. People can sense when you’re real and when you’re fake. If you’re making music that’s not you, people can sense that. And you know, you gotta make sure to put your own stamp on it and make it you, or else people aren’t going to believe it. If they don’t believe you it’s pointless.”

Boom baboom boom baboom boom boom. Thwack. Thwack-thwack.

When I ask Bieber what he thinks about another crossover pop star—Justin Timberlake, to whom the youngster is often compared–the Canadian crooner changes his tune.

“My voice doesn’t sound like his voice,” says Bieber. “I’m making pop R&B music and he made pop R&B music, so that could be the comparison. As far as fans, I have a lot of fans that are young and girls, so that’s another comparison. As far as music wise, I don’t make any music that sounds like his music.”

Boom boom boom. Baboom boom boom.

Still, there are at least a few areas where Bieber admits he’s aiming to emulate Timberlake: he hopes to launch an acting career soon, thereby loosening some of the constraints of his rigorous recording schedule.

“I wanna make an album whenever I feel like making an album,” he says. “I think that’s what Justin does as well. He makes one when he feels it’s necessary to make it.”

In the meantime, he waits—and millions around the world wait—to see what sort of reaction this necessary album will bring. Regardless of what happens, there’s always percussion.

Post Your Comment

Post Your Reply

Forbes writers have the ability to call out member comments they find particularly interesting. Called-out comments are highlighted across the Forbes network. You'll be notified if your comment is called out.